Club profile: Mitcham Golf Club

By Jenny Yu
October 21, 2018 10:14 Updated

The club, on the outskirts of London was founded by Conservative MP Sir Henry Mallaby-Deeley in 1891 and the then future prime minister, Arthur Balfour, was its first president. It was opened as a public course in 1925 by the then prime minister, Ramsay Macdonald.

Judging by its popularity, it’s hard to believe that the clubhouse at Mitcham Golf Club is a ‘temporary’ structure built in 1933 after the splendid original was destroyed by fire.

Thanks to a number of improvements and makeovers, it continues to thrive as a welcoming venue for members and the local community alike and not only is it still standing after more than 85 years, it’s going from strength to strength.

Set on Mitcham Common on the outskirts of London the clubhouse is often a hive of activity.

With space to accommodate up to 150 it is used for a range of events including weddings, anniversaries, retirement parties and funeral celebrations. It also hosts business meetings in a private room seating up to 30 attendees.

Thanks to its convenient location just 12 miles from central London with first class transport links and blessed with a lovely parkland golf course stretching out across the common, it is very handy for anyone living in or visiting London who wishes to enjoy a quality 18 holes without having to travel any great distance.

Not only blessed with ample free on-site parking, bus and tram stops, it also has a mainline railway station at Mitcham Junction a mere 50 yards away.

As a result, many members and visitors arrive by train, making it imperative for the club to ensure it has adequate golf locker storage.

Last year the club embarked on an upgrade of its male locker rooms, employing Ridgeway Furniture to refurbish the room with new lockers, benches, vanities and wardrobe units.

The upgrade has been a big success, receiving praise from members and visitors alike and now the club is planning a similar refit of the female changing rooms.

Mitcham selected Ridgeway thanks to its fine reputation for quality and reliability at a competitive price.

Dennise Coker, the club’s general manager, said: “Everybody is pleased with the work done and we would recommend Ridgeway to others considering an upgrade of their locker rooms.”

Since its inception Ridgeway has manufactured tens of thousands of lockers that have been installed in some of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world.

The company has seen turnover increase by more than 100 per cent over the past five years and has invested more than £500,000 in a new factory increasing its capacity by over 50 per cent. The facility, at more than 18,000 square feet, means the company is now the UK’s largest dedicated manufacturer of wooden lockers.

The Mitcham club dates back to the early 1890s when the Board of Conservators, charged with looking after the common, agreed to let an 18-course be constructed – provided it did not enclose the land and deprive the borough residents from exercising their ‘common rights’ to walk or exercise.

With a future prime minister, Lord Arthur Balfour, elected as president, The Princes Club, as it was originally named, soon became one of the most exclusive in the country.

Thanks to its location, within easy reach of Westminster and founded by Conservative MP Sir Henry Mallaby-Deeley, many famous politicians played there.

Prince’s standing as a private club ended in 1925 when it was opened as a public course with membership by the reigning prime minister, Ramsay Macdonald.

Sadly, the original clubhouse, from the International Inventions Exhibitions at Kensington, which gave an upper deck view from the lounge and restaurant over the common, burned down in 1933 and was replaced by the ‘temporary’ building, which still stands today.